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Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) vs. SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    RDCMan

    Score7 out of 10
    N/ARDCMan, or Remote Desktop Connection Manager from Microsoft, is a utility for managing multiple remote desktop connections. Once shut down due to a vulnerability in version 2.7, RDCMan is now updated and part of the Sysinternals family of tools. The 2.8 release fixes CVE-2020-0765, the XML parsing vulnerability. As of May, 2025, RDCMan is in version 3.1.

    $0

    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)

    Score8.1 out of 10
    N/ASolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere provides help desk technicians a simple, cloud-based, remote-support solution to easily access endpoint devices. It features diagnostic and troubleshooting tools to help resolve issues more quickly. Using a laptop or a mobile app users can access end-device details, running sessions, and deep registry editing capabilities. The user can record sessions, add notes, view reports, and create customized surveys for additional end…N/A
    Pricing
    RDCManSolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    RDCManSolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    RDCManSolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    SolarWinds
    Chose SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere tops Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager and Remote Desktop Protocol. It's feature set far outweighs the competition and is infinitely more secure than RDP.
    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere also allows access to other operating …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    6 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    14 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    6 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    13 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    6 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    14 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    11 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    12 Answers
    Features
    RDCManSolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
    Remote Administration
    Comparison of Remote Administration features of Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) and SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
    Feature
    Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan)
    6.4
    6 Ratings
    21% below category average
    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
    4.7
    14 Ratings
    51% below category average
    Screen sharing7.04 Ratings8.014 Ratings
    File transfer5.36 Ratings5.014 Ratings
    Instant message1.02 Ratings8.013 Ratings
    Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication5.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access to sleeping/powered-off computers9.03 Ratings1.010 Ratings
    Over-the-Internet remote session7.55 Ratings9.014 Ratings
    Initiate remote control from mobile5.04 Ratings3.010 Ratings
    Remote management of servers & workstations9.36 Ratings5.013 Ratings
    Remote Active Directory® management7.34 Ratings00 Ratings
    Centralized management dashboard8.03 Ratings5.013 Ratings
    Session record4.93 Ratings5.010 Ratings
    Annotations4.03 Ratings3.06 Ratings
    Monitoring and Alerts7.74 Ratings1.010 Ratings
    Multi-platform remote control8.04 Ratings3.011 Ratings
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    RDCManSolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
    Small Businesses
    N-able Take Control
    Score7.2 out of 10
    N-able Take Control
    Score7.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Remote Desktop Manager
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Remote Desktop Manager
    Score9.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
    Score9.1 out of 10
    BeyondTrust Privileged Remote Access
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    User Ratings
    RDCManSolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.0
    (6 ratings)
    8.0
    (14 ratings)
    Usability
    7.7
    (3 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.3
    (2 ratings)
    8.1
    (10 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    RDCManSolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Microsoft
    As a IT specialist we have some servers we need acces to. I like to use Remote Desktop Connection Manager because it feel like you are on the computer. Is feel very trusted. Some colleagues use the Azure remote desktop version but I always recommend the windows integrated option. We also have our primary business application running on a server so they use a remote desktop connection too to log on to the server.
    Incentivized
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    SolarWinds
    I think for ANY environment it's worth taking it out for a test drive. It's very powerful, especially when using the agent to connect to sessions where the end user doesn't need admin rights but when not in a VDI environment it likely would perform better with its built in functionality to ask for elevation. It is really powerful, even with the ability to run command line scripts without the user seeing (kind of a built in psexec) and it does work with Mac and Linux to some degree too so it really is worth trying out regardless of your environment. It may be just what you're looking for and the sales folks at DRE are not pushy at all, at least in my experience, and give great advice even at the expense of selling less licenses!
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Microsoft
    • I can see previews of all the machines working at the same time.
    • Having all password in one place.
    • Organization of devices based on purpose, configuration, etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SolarWinds
    • Remote control is solid, rarely loses connection
    • Allows for control of the desktop prior to login
    • Allows for scripts to be executed in the background without disturbing users
    • Allows for batch rollout of scripts across multiple machines
    • Allows us to see the end users' desktop - as opposed to RDP
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Microsoft
    • When trying to connect to a server/machine, and it doesn't connect, there is a "Disconnected" message that is displayed in the thumbnail. There is no information beyond this that explains why the server/machine did/could not connect. It would be helpful to the IT Administrator to know this information, even if Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) kept a log somewhere where this information can be analyzed.
    • There doesn't seem to be an option for connecting to a server that is usually only able to be accessed from a jump server. This will not connect if the server is set up as a server/machine within RDCman. This would be a beneficial feature to have within RDCman. Maybe one of the missing options is to be able to set this in the prospects for the jump server (within the Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection Manager (RDCMan) window).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    SolarWinds
    • Connectivity to a helpdesk/knowledgebase would be nice feature so users can do self-help
    • Offering a branded version of the client/agent would be a nice touch for businesses
    • A web-only version of the technician console for remote support would be a nice feature
    Read full review
    Usability
    Microsoft
    As alluded to in previous responses it is a very functional tool. It allows me to do my job quickly and efficiently every single day. There are little to no issues using the connection on a day to day basis. It handles everything you need from a remote connection perspective.
    Incentivized
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    SolarWinds
    It's a good tool overall, but could be better.
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    Microsoft
    Plenty of information and support online, and with many things it's pretty straight forward for the average tech to navigate and work with. But with most things online you're not the only person that's had the issue before, and using a search engine you should be able to figure it out.
    Incentivized
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    SolarWinds
    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere is an easy to use software package. The manuals are easy to understand, and the installation is simple and straightforward. The Maintenance and support costs are relatively reasonable, and we maintain support and maintenance strictly for the upgrades rather than support. Over the years, SolarWinds has released numerous feature enhancements to the software package, making SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere indispensable on our network.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Microsoft
    RDCMan outshines TeamViewer in every possible way. It’s fast, more reliable, and easier to use. I have had frequent crashes and issues when using TeamViewer, while none with RDCMan. Screen responsiveness also seems much better with RDCMan versus TeamViewer. I would often experience lag issues when using TeamViewer.
    Incentivized
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    SolarWinds
    We basically selected this for our one of the SolarWinds Project. In that we needed to take remote session and screensharing and do the analysis and troubleshooting. In our initial analysis itself we got the excellent result, and it was too quick. We were very much inspired from this. Later on, we started using SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE) for almost all the projects of SolarWinds. Highly appreciated, thanks team.
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Microsoft
    • its less time consuming for IT engineers because they have everything on one please
    • less FTE for the tasks
    • Lack of MFA option
    Incentivized
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    SolarWinds
    • seamless installation of MSI or EXE
    • No Codes to enter when installing agent
    • Agent automatically connects to cloud dashboard
    • our deployment tool has messed up a couple of times, so agents get uninstalled or not installed when this occurs, and we can't see a computer in the dashboard
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    RDCMan Screenshots

    Screenshot of a view of RDCMan 2.22Screenshot of a view of RDCMan 2.22Screenshot of a view of RDCMan 2.81

    SolarWinds Dameware Remote Everywhere (DRE) Screenshots

    Screenshot of Fast remote controlScreenshot of Live chatScreenshot of Remote desktop on mobileScreenshot of Reporting engineScreenshot of Secrets vaultScreenshot of Session information details